Mount Mazama Crater Lake Oregon Facts
The clear blue lake fills a big hole caused when before 7700 years collapsed volcano peak.
Crater Lake is located at the place of a dormant volcano, high in the cascade mountains at 1882 m above sea level, in southwestern Oregon.
This lake is, in fact, a wide recess that was formed by collapsing the top of the volcanic mountain Mazamet after strong volcanic eruptions. The lake, with a diameter of 8 to 10 km, is surrounded by multi-colored sheer cliffs rising out of the water and create a wrinkled edge in some places high up to 1220 meters.
The surface of the lake is decorated with two small and two mutually different islands. The first island, which has an almost perfect volcanic cone shape, rises from the bottom of the lake. The entire island, except for the very top, submerged in the water. On the south side of the lake there is another island formed from sharp rocks and coniferous trees.
How Crater Lake was formed
Before powerful eruption that occurred around 5700 BC Mazama mountain was a volcano with a lot of pile, about 3600 meters high. The main and a number of smaller craters at the beginning of the eruption hurled a huge amount of hot ash that swooped down the slopes of the volcano. The eruption became stronger and was eventually thrown stones so that the center of the volcano began to crumble, leaving a large deep caldera, which now houses a Crater Lake.
Over the centuries, water accumulates in the crater and created a lake with a maximum depth of 594 meters (average depth is about 350 meters), making it the deepest lake in the United States. In the crater lake river does not flow, nor is it a source of any river. The amount of water that gets lost plunge into the soil and evaporation compensates are with rainfall in the form of rain and snow.
Does crater lake freeze over?
Although around the lake has a lot of snowfall, the lake rarely freezes in its entirety. Last time was completely froze more than 60 years ago, more precisely during the long and cold winter in 1949.
Why is Crater Lake so blue?
The lake is bright blue because it is very deep and clean, in the same way is ocean blue. It looks blue because red, orange and yellow are absorbed more strongly by water than is blue, so the lake surface reflects bright white light that with greater intensity turns blue (similar to LEDs) …
Why does crater lake have an island in it?
After a major eruption of the volcano activity has continued, although at reduced capacity so that they are in the bed of the lake formed volcanic cone, as well as the first island. However, jagged spikes of another island, known as “phantom ship”, are far older, and were created by the vertical solid rock that filled the cracks formed during lot older volcanic eruptions. Crater Lake and its surroundings have become a national park on 22 May 1902.
Read also Pink Lake Hillier in Australia and Band-e Amir Lakes in Afghanistan…
Facts about Crater Lake
No.1 – it is a caldera lake
No.2 – is famous for its deep blue color
No.3 – it was formed around 5,700 years ago
No.4 – islands in Crater Lake are Wizard Island and Phantom Ship
No.5 – seven different trees living on Phantom Ship
No.6 – previous names for this lake are Blue Lake and Lake Majesty
No.7 – maximum depth of lake is 594 meters (average is 350)
No.8 – it is the deepest lake in the U.S.
No.9 – it is seventh deepest lake in the world
No.10 – by average depth (350 meters) it is third deepest in the world
No.11 – average pH is 8
No.12 – for Klamath tribe of Native Americans lake is sacred site
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